Manchester’s ‘Unofficial England’ European Success | OneFootball

With the Women’s Euros coming up it’s appropriate to look back to a time when a Manchester side with strong City connections won a ‘European Cup’, playing as ‘England’.

The 1957 European tournament is often overlooked as this was not a UEFA tournament, but UEFA had yet to establish women’s competitions for nations.

The tournament was organised by an organisation typically referred to as the International Ladies FA (ILFA).

City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann was involved and in October 1957, he announced that he had been asked to play a leading role in the newly established ILFA.

"I’ve just received a letter from a friend in Germany suggesting I might become the first president of the newly formed Women’s International Football Association, couple with an invitation to coach an English women’s team for continental games.

"It would be a great honour to take over either role."

Trautmann explained more about the ILFA: "The idea of an association planned on lines similar to the FIFA body which controls our world soccer, is exciting, and what’s more when they’ve got through their teething troubles there’s going to be a Women’s European Cup competition!"

"Just imagine it! Women players will very soon be flying from one capital to another, packing the grounds as they battle for their own cup.

"It’s hard to imagine women scheming on such broad sports lines. Yet my correspondent emphasises that at the start England, Germany, Austria and Holland will compete."

In November 1957, the new European Cup was competed for with the Manchester Corinthians selected by Trautmann to play as England in this new competition.

Well-established Corinthian Mary Bee, who is now in her nineties and attended a City WSL game this year, helped sort out the arrangements for a tournament which saw England win the final. Mary: "It was a tremendous final. I think it was 4-0.

"Babs Large got two or three and I think I got one. That sticks in my mind. Carrying the cup was superb."

The final was played on Sunday 3 November 1957 when England (the Corinthians) defeated West Germany at the Mommsenstadion Stadium in Berlin.

An English report recorded: "Babs Large, a 22-year-old bookbinder, slammed in three goals from outside right.

"Mary Bee, 22-year-old machinist, scored the other. Doris Ashley, 33-year-old inside right, for whom Dad started the Corinthians because she was always trying to gate crash into men’s games, supplied the scheming.

"And the general impression among the Germans was that the Manchester Corinthians were even a little better than Manchester United in technique."

One of the key players was Maureen Charlton who told me last year of how proud she was with the success: "We sang the National Anthem when we won.

"We were very aware of who we were and what we were representing. We were proud to represent England."

Maureen enjoyed the celebrations, but the trip also cost her: "I remember getting to the airport after winning the European Cup and the people at the airport – the customs and that – were all clapping.

"It was wonderful. Then when I got back my employer - Knowsley Cast Metal in Trafford Park - told me they had let me go because I was spending too much time playing football!"

Winning the European Cup brought significant recognition to Manchester’s pioneering women’s team. "There was an event at the Apollo in Ardwick," said Mary Bee.

"They introduced us and told everyone what we’d done. There were all sorts of events like that."

The ILFA ran into a variety of issues, mostly to do with financial matters and poor organisation, and the original aims could not be fulfilled.

Bert Trautmann never received the opportunity to lead a strong organisation and opportunities to develop women’s international football were missed.

However, in 1972 when Scotland were the opponents for the first official England women’s international a Manchester Corinthians’ player, Jean Wilson, played and the head of the international committee was Gladys Aikin, the Corinthians’ manager.

Regardless of whether 1957’s European Cup success is regarded as official or unofficial today, at the time it was competed for Trautmann and all involved recognised it as a major achievement.

Mary, Maureen and over fifty other Corinthian players were interviewed by Gary James for his groundbreaking history of the Manchester Corinthians.

The book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester football and is the culmination of a decade’s research by the renowned Manchester football historian. You can buy the book here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2025/06/04/manchester-corinthians-resources-and-spreading-the-word/